Nature abhors a vacuum. So does my cat.

Volume 1, no. 4 of the Ann Arbor daily telegram. If you're interested in an email subscription, follow the subscription link. This is still an experimental project.

San Francisco: the iPhone 5 is out; it's faster, lighter (112 grams), thinner (7.6 mm), and has a slightly bigger screen (4", 176 extra vertical rows of pixels) than previous iPhones. [Techmeme] [The Next Web] But wait, there's more: there's a new dock connector, so all of your old iPhone peripherals are incompatible. [Engadget]

Benghazi, Libya: One of the dead in the attack on the Libyan embassy was gamer Sean Smith aka "Vile Rat", who was well known as a diplomat and a spy in the EVE Online multiplayer gaming world. [Wired] [The Mittani]

California: The identity of "Sam Bacile", the purported Israeli-American producer of the anti-Islamic film that caused violence in Egypt and Libya, goes under scrutinty by the press who are "highly skeptical" that he exists. [The Atlantic] [NPR] There's also evidence that the most offensive lines of script in the video were badly overdubbed in post-production. [On The Media] AP traces a link to Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian. [AP/Arizona Star] The New York Times makes a connection to a "notorious" anti-Muslim activist. [NY Times]

Lansing: Michigan governor Rick Snyder proposes sweeping changes to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which would turn it into a mutual insurance company and which would subject it to taxes in exchange for reducing regulation. [Lansing State Journal] [Detroit Free Press]

Lansing: The House approves HB 4394, requiring a US flag in every classroom and requiring that students recite the pledge of allegiance. The analysis of the bill notes: "There are many reports of young students learning the words of the pledge by rote, but mangling them when they recite, with utmost sincerity, same-sounding nonsense". [via Jeff Irwin] [House Legislative Analysis] [HB 4394] ["For Richard Stands"]

Lansing: Statewide food and grocery inspections are now online. [Lansing State Journal] [MiSafe] Washtenaw County has its own inspection program, also online. [Sword Solutions]. The latest published spreadsheet from Washtenaw's system, listing all inspected restaurants in July 2012, was released at the end of August 2012. [AnnArbor.com]

Ann Arbor: Construction is underway at the old Champion House (Preztel Bell building) space at the corner of Fourth and Liberty; new window openings are going in on the Fourth Ave. side. The new restaurant will be Kuroshio, a Japanese fusion restaurant. [Facebook] [Arborwiki] [Pretzel Bell]

Ann Arbor: Construction is also underway at the 317 Maynard Street building that Barracuda Networks is planning to move their Ann Arbor operations to. O'Neal Construction is doing the work. A hearing on a tax abatement for the building is scheduled for October 1, 2012. [Ann Arbor Chronicle] [Building permit BLDG12-1246, Etrakit]

Ann Arbor: Cafe Ambrosia is now Elixir Vitae; they changed their name, but not their ownership or essential grad student/townie atmosphere, because of other coffee companies of the same name. A second store is opening at 117 East Liberty between Main and Fourth by the end of September. [Facebook]

Washtenaw County's Solid Waste program has a guide, Turning Trash into Treasure, with a comprehensive list of where to recycle or dispose of everything you no longer need. Ammunition, carpeting, propane tanks, motor oil, freon, tires, styrofoam, paint – and more – are all listed with helpful dropoff and pickup details. [PDF, 48 pages]

Sandusky, Ohio: Cedar Point's Space Spiral ride came crashing down in a controlled explosion. It was demolished to make way for a new Gatekeeper winged roller coaster. [demolition video, WKYC 3]

Detroit Tigers 8, Chicago White Sox 6. Tigers were up 8-1 in the top of the 8th, but four Chicago runs in the bottom of the 8th and one more in the bottom of the 9th put the tying run at the plate. Scherzer with the win (16-6), Valverde with the save (30). Tigers are now one game out of first place. [MLB]

Events.

Every Thursday is the A2B3 "bi bim bap lunch" at noon at Eastern Accents, 214 S Fourth Ave in Ann Arbor, where yours truly hosts 8-25 people for lunch and networking. [a2b3]